TOPIC: Am I looking in the right places?

Hey fellas,Western North Carolina digger here.... so opening day has come and gone and so did my high expectations for finding a pile load of seng. I went out for about 4 hours to a new location and only dug 3.8oz wet. I was on the north east side of the mountain and in somewhat of a holler. I have a feeling the area may get hunted pretty regular, but not sure. I had google mapped the location I was going to dig at the previous night, and when I showed up at noon there were two trucks parked on the side of the road right where I was going to head up the side of the mountain.

Do any experienced diggers have any suggestions or secrets. This is my first year digging, and am looking for some direction. The \"secrets\" of seng digging are so heavily guarded I can't seem to find a book or any article on the art anywhere. Any help would be appreciated

i dont know bout in NC but round here my best bet is always up higher in the holler, and in the thickets and briars, alot of people dont look up high it seems,the rougher the terrain the better it is usually, most people pass right by the rough spots

I am not an experienced senger, however the information was gleaned from my uncle who has dug for 45 years in WV. You are right to look on the Northeast side. It does seem to grow better there. However, seng can be found anywhere. I've seen it on a dry ridge where I wasn't expecting it. I don't know the terrain there, however in WV you can bet if you find poplar trees and black walnut trees, you will find seng. Also check the rough areas. Many times if it looks \"rougher than a cobb\" you might find some good seng there. You'd be surprised how many people are hesitant to wade in a greenbrier patch. Also take your time. My uncle \"corn hoes\" the area. Back and forth, back and forth working your way up or down the mountain. You'd be surprised how many people make a beeline through the mountains. Last of all, just have fun, don't expect to find huge amounts every time. Just enjoy being in the woods. If you find alot great. If not then just realize you will have days like that. It happens to all sengers. Hope this helps.

seng hunting is hunting for gold,you might hit it bigor you may not..i have found the money plant on the south and south east side also...the bigger roots i seem to find,is at the tip top face of hollers or right on the small ridges going to the top...but of course the plants itself is small most of the time,like not mature 3 prongs,but what a surprize when that root comes into view....i have dug seng in places where u think,no way theres seng here...find fern and popular tree grove,9 out of 10 times u will find seng,or find where someone beat u to it....

yes its true seng sometimes will come up in some unthinkable places. thats just the way mother nature works. but ur not gonna find alot in those unthinkable places. stick to your hollers with northern facing slope with little sunlight and some moist dirt. always look for your companion plants. cohosh is one of the most common and easiest to spot, great for starters. dont just hunt the seng, learn the seng. learn how high up it likes to grow and learn everything that grows around it. stay in places with soft timber, try to stay away from alot of oaks and pines. i like to hunt around beeches, maples, and poplars. looks and sounds like to me you went to a good area for seng. but like you said it could have been hunted to death. any senger will tell you that your gonna see this more often than not especially starting out. thats why its good to go to more secluded areas. places you think that not many ppl have been. there is one trick i will give you and its the number one trick of any succesful senger. and thats good stewardship. keep searching these hollers and you will find some sweet spots where theres just all kinds of seng. over time you will come up with more and more of these places. NEVER harvest immature plants. and ALWAYS plant your berrys. if you will work these sweet spots like this you will always have seng there to dig. the more sweet spots you come up with the more seng you can get. just work these places wisely. and its also not a bad thing to keep these places secret cause there are alot of poachers out there. and they will dig these places dry if given the chance. if you want a good idea of what im talking about watch billys video about practicing good stewardship. anyways good sengin ol buddy i hope ive helped ya out a lil bit

I really appreciate all of the help fellas. I am most definitely one to take heed the advice of the well seasoned. I will have to start making those lengthy hikes up to the top of the mountains. It only makes sense that most diggers won't make the long haul up the mountain, which leaves the best seng for the dedicated. Honestly, last time I dug, I only went 125yds up the mountain when it was 6 to 7 times that to the top.

I am sure that good stewardship now will reap its benefits in the future. The older guys I dug with on one occasion had good practices from what I hear from you guys. Good luck to you all, and may the seng bags be heavy!

I really appreciate all of the help fellas. I am most definitely one to take heed the advice of the well seasoned. I will have to start making those lengthy hikes up to the top of the mountains. It only makes sense that most diggers won't make the long haul up the mountain, which leaves the best seng for the dedicated. Honestly, last time I dug, I only went 125yds up the mountain when it was 6 to 7 times that to the top.

I am sure that good stewardship now will reap its benefits in the future. The older guys I dug with on one occasion had good practices from what I hear from you guys. Good luck to you all, and may the seng bags be heavy!

you may not wanna go to high up. it dont like growing on the tops of mountains. just a lil advice. it does good around here up til about 3/4 the way up the hill. i remember when i first started digging i had the same idea you have about going to the top of the mountain cuz noone else does but i never found anything. after i got some experience under my belt i learned it only seems to grow up to a certain elevation

Down south here in Middle TN we hardly ever find it growing anywhere except the North, North/East or East facing slopes.

The East facing slopes get some good morning sun but very little evening sun and the more that changes in the Northward direction the total sunlight exposure decreases.

The more Easterly the hillside faces we usually find it growing anywhere the bottom of the hollow up to about 1/3 way up the hillside. The more Northly the hillside faces we often find it growing anywhere from the hollow bottom up to 3/4 or more up the hill. On some north facing hillsides I have found seng growing very high on the hill almost to the ridge top.

Look for hillsides like that that have Hard Maple and Poplar trees (their leaves store up calcium and then fertilize the forrest floor with it) and ginseng needs high calcium to do well.

When you see Maiden Hair Fern and Bainberry growing you know the calcium in the soil there is getting right, they only grow in high calcium soils.

You can increase your chances of finding GOOD seng by focusing on those areas that are very difficult to get to, say from the road you have to cross a river or large creek to get over to the hollow you want to hunt. Or it is a long walk from the road to get in there. Or perhaps look for hollows that are surrounded by clear cut areas that have been planted back in pine trees. You often have to wade thru a real mess of a thicket to get to the hollow but then the hollow has good older timer.

Places like that are where you are going to find more and older seng.

If you can easily park and walk a hollow out, 90% of the time you will find smaller stuff and it may be sparce because unfortunately a lot of folks do not practice good stewardship.

Best of Luck !

TNhunter